The Quokkas are an internationally franchised drinking team with a cricketing problem
Renowned for our fearsome lack of fear on the cricketing pitch, we bring our unique brand of sporting ineptitude and enthusiasm over ability to the ovals of our opponents

At a time when cricketing tournaments have lost much of the lustre and appeal, the Big Day Not Out arrived on Sunday past to trumpet the appeal of a sunny day in the park watching pub-grade cricket.

While the format of the games was certainly another tweaking of the rules; 3 teams playing per 30-over game, the outcome was successful; with over 130 cricketers putting on entertaining versions of cricket to a crowd of several thousand.

The Marquis of Lorne Quokkas drew several short-straws on the day, firstly by having to merge the team with the far less talented Royal Derby (due to us both being new teams), secondly by drawing the Napier and the Standard in our group (easily making us the minnow) and lastly by drawing a 10am start on a Sunday.

There was some luck on our side though, with the league forcing us to field a combined side with the Royal Derby, which meant we would actually have some cricketers on our side.

That was the end of the luck though, with J-Bomb holing out first ball and the game following the trend from there. The Derby players were able to assist the team in accumulating runs, though the constant loss of Quokka wickets worked against our total run-rate, with The Rev running himself for a suicidal single off the last ball being a prime example of fairly average batting.

Notable exceptions include Mo and Jazzrons innings, with Jazzrons’ stroke-making daring some to suggest that the Quokkas actually have a batsman in their midst. Mo continued to sweep and slog every ball that came near him, and even some that didn’t.

The bowling innings didn’t fare much better, apart from when the Derby players were taking wickets, as the Quokkas were treated with all the respect of a red-headed step child. Even Pup, our leading wicket-taker, was hit to the boundary with abandon (though did pick up 1 of 3 wickets).

Having been bustled out of the tournament in our only game, the Quokkas then set about manning the bar at Alfred crescent, which is where we showed our real value in the tournament; smashing the beer sales of all other bars there over the boundary.

With the sun shining down on us all day, the team revelled in the chance to sit and watch something resembling cricket in a convivial atmosphere and toast our first season in the YPCA.